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早有蜻蜓立上头

早有蜻蜓立上頭
zǎo yǒu qīngtíng lì shàngtóu
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 a dragonfly has already perched on top
  2. 2 (of a fresh bud/idea) it has already attracted the first sharp eye
  3. 3 (lit.) already there is a dragonfly standing on the top

Examples

HSK 7-9
小荷才露尖尖角，早有蜻蜓立上头，这句常用来形容新事物刚露头就被人捕捉。
Xiǎohécáilùjiānjiānjiǎo, zǎoyǒuqīngtínglìshàngtóu, zhè jù chángyòng lái xíngróng xīn shìwù gāng lù tóu jiù bèi rén bǔzhuō.
'The young lotus just shows its pointed tip, already a dragonfly perches on top', often used to describe something new being spotted the moment it emerges.
HSK 7-9
他的新作还没发表，早有蜻蜓立上头，已经有出版社来约稿。
Tā de xīnzuò hái méi fābiǎo, zǎoyǒuqīngtínglìshàngtóu, yǐjīng yǒu chūbǎnshè lái yuē gǎo.
His new work hasn't been released yet, but 'the dragonfly has already landed' - publishers are already calling.

Tips

history
Second couplet of 杨万里《小池》(Yang Wanli, Southern Song): 泉眼无声惜细流，树阴照水爱晴柔。小荷才露尖尖角，早有蜻蜓立上头 (The spring flows silent, cherishing its thread of water; tree shade on the pond loves the gentle sun. The young lotus just shows its pointed tip, and already a dragonfly perches on top). A delicate snapshot of early summer, one of the best-known quatrains in the primary-school canon.
usage
Almost always paired with the preceding line 小荷才露尖尖角. The image has taken on a figurative life: anything brand-new that immediately attracts keen attention.

Stroke Order

早 zǎo
有 yǒu
蜻 qīng
蜓 tíng
立 lì
上 shàng
头 tóu